Self-Paced Clinical Education
Adaptation Labs brings evidence-based, specialized training to professionals worldwide. Hosted on Physiopedia Plus, these self-paced courses bridge foundational clinical knowledge with advanced application. All eight courses are approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) for continuing education, and Physiopedia Plus works with regulatory organizations in many countries and US states to accredit or accept courses for physical therapists and other clinicians. Use the accreditation drop-down on any course page, or the filters in the Physiopedia Plus course catalog, to check approval for your profession and location. Click on any course image or title below to view full details and enroll directly on the platform.
As part of the Adaptation Labs community, you can receive 30% off your first year of an annual Full or Pro membership on Physiopedia Plus, giving you unlimited access to the entire course curriculum. Use code ANGIEK30 at checkout, or click the link below to apply the discount automatically.
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When provided correctly, wheelchairs are life-changing tools that open up new possibilities for mobility and function. This course introduces the global framework for wheelchair provision, exploring why structured, people-centered services matter, who delivers them, and what the evidence shows. Whether you are new to this field or expanding your practice, this is where it begins.
A thorough wheelchair assessment is the foundation of every successful prescription. This course guides you through the three components of the wheelchair assessment: the client interview, the physical assessment, and body measurements. It will help you develop the clinical reasoning to translate assessment findings into optimal wheelchair provision.
Wheelchair provision is more than selecting a chair from a catalogue. It requires clinicians to understand a broad landscape of equipment, from basic mobility aids available off the shelf through to highly individualised complex rehabilitation technology configured for a single user. This course provides a high-level overview of the primary categories of wheelchair and seating systems, establishing the foundational vocabulary and clinical reasoning that subsequent courses build upon.
Effective wheelchair provision begins with the seating system: the components that directly support the wheelchair user. This course explores the clinical foundations of seating and positioning, from pelvic alignment and pressure management through cushion materials, back supports, and positioning components. It builds on the clinical reasoning skills developed in previous courses to support your decision-making in wheelchair seating.
Selecting an ultra-lightweight manual wheelchair (ULWC) is among the most clinically complex and consequential equipment decisions in wheelchair provision. This course explores how ULWCs are defined, constructed, set up, and matched to individual users. Understanding these principles allows clinicians to connect wheelchair design directly to clinical outcomes and long-term independence.
Tilt-in-space wheelchairs are a form of complex rehabilitation technology. They do far more than simply tilt a seat. This course explores the clinical indications, biomechanical principles, and feature-matching decisions that guide appropriate prescription. Using case examples and evidence-based frameworks, learners will develop the skills to confidently match equipment to individual client needs.
This course explores the technologies that sit between a standard manual wheelchair and a full power chair. These fall into two categories: power assist systems, which amplify the user's own propulsion effort while preserving manual mobility skills, and power add-on systems, which attach to the manual wheelchair and convert it into a powered mobility device. Through this course, you will build the foundational knowledge to recognise when and why each system may be indicated.
This final course in the Foundations of Wheelchair Provision Programme introduces the fundamentals of power mobility, including power wheelchair and scooter provision. It covers the main categories of power mobility devices, drive wheel configurations, power seating functions, and the principle of feature matching to provide a practical foundation for clinical reasoning during power mobility assessments.
